Netherlands, Kingdom of the Netherlands, 1 Duit – 1789

Description

In 1830 Belgium separated from the United Kingdom from the Netherlands, leaving the northern part alone, which will not recognize the independence of the South until 1839 with the London Treaty. Luxembourg became an independent country, losing much of its territory in favor of Belgium. Guillermo I was an enlightened despot and retained much of the power, returning power to the states and maintaining a rather restrictive census vote, but at the same time promoted the rapid modernization of the country, being the most industrialized south, but with a prosperous north by the recovery of the colonies and their trade. In fact, the Netherlands did not eliminate slavery in their colonies until 1863. The first important crisis came with the separation of the south, partly due to the restrictions imposed on the Catholic majority. Once separated, the Netherlands began their industrialization although without reaching the levels of Belgium until 1920. Rotterdam became a large port and the PHILIPS conglomerate soon stood out for size and diversification. Politically, the 1848 liberal revolutions did not have a strong impact in the Netherlands, although the king adopted liberal changes in the Constitution. During the First World War it remained neutral, but very controlled by the belligerents, since the Netherlands controlled access to the great rivers, and the possible entry and exit of products to Germany. In the interwar period, the crisis of 29 suffered significantly. The arrival of Nazism and the militarization of Germany did not care excessively to the Dutch population, convinced that in case of war, its neutrality would be respected again. However, Germany if the country invaded this time in May 1940 (applying the Schlieffen plan totally), forcing the surrender on May 15 with the Bombard of Rotterdam. The Royal Family and the Government fled to London, and would begin a stage of German occupation.